Broken Promises
by ElleMZ
Summary: (Follows Lines We Cross) After Rumplestiltskin's deal for baby Rose Red is broken, he goes on a quest to find his prize, whatever the price. Nobody breaks a deal with The Dark One. Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just having some fictional fun with OUAT
1. No One Breaks a Deal

**The Enchanted Forest - Dark Castle**

He walked down to the dungeon to check on his prisoner. As he was approaching he heard the traitor whimper in fear. Opening the door, he came in he said, "Too late for that, dearie. I have no sympathy for people who break deals with me." Rumpelstiltskin had no time for this liar and thief. _Deny me prize and expect mercy?_ He scoffed at the thought. This man was going to pay for his betrayal.

"You haven't ANY sympathy for anybody, you Beast!" He spat out.

"Glad you found your courage. Now give me what I want and I'll make yours a quick death."

The man, now knowing he didn't have any hope of living, remained defiantly silent. The imp shrugged. "Your choice." He than raised up his whip and started flogging the man. There was no one but Rumpelstiltskin in the Dark Castle to hear the condemned man scream.  
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Back home after disposing the body, Rumple was in his chambers, brooding and planning his next moves carefully. He had worried that his last victim wouldn't give him anything useful. Fortunately he was able to extract one clue before the man died.

He knew who was behind baby Rose Red's kidnapping - The Blue Fairy.

**Thanks to Wanz for inspiring the idea! I'll be working on this throughout the hiatus. **


	2. Dirty Laundry

**The Enchanted Forest - Pepper's Tavern**

At the tavern Michaela sat down in the far corner nervously. He wasn't here so she decided to drink her cherry stout while she waited. It did nothing to ease her fear, but at least it was numbing just a bit. She went back to the front and picked another mug.

"Glad you're having a good time dearie." He was at the table she had just left. The imp was cloaked in red and gold, but she saw his reptilian skin peek through the hood.

She sat down again, across from him. Trying to limit the time she spent with him, she handed him her satchel. "I have what you want."

He corrected her. "No, you don't. I wanted the baby, but I'm settling for her linens." He opened the bag to inspect what she bought.

"Hmm, looks good." The sheets had some of the little one's hairs. He noticed that there were a few drops of blood on one of the sheets. "What is this?" he asked as he pointed them out.

The woman got sick, recalling it. "That's Rose's." It happened toward the end of the baby's suffering. When Rose's throat was raw from coughing so much, little specks of blood came out. When she first saw that she felt guilt of the deception she was a part of. However she made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to get out of an arranged marriage. She gained enough money to call off her engagement, but it meant owing him a favor. Now she was responsible for an innocent baby's suffering.

As a servant that worked closely with the Royal family she saw first hand the fruits of her labor. The Queen had gone into a depression, hiding in her chambers most days and only going through the motions when out in public.

The King grew detached from his wife as he was reminded of his dead daughter. Michaela knew it was an arranged marriage, but when the tiny princess had arrived it almost looked like they were a genuine family, full of hope and love. Snow struggled mightily as another loved one's death entered into her life much too soon.

"How did you get this without the palace knowing?" He asked. Rumpelstiltskin had to make sure this wouldn't get traced back to him. The last thing he needed was Regina's full wrath directed at him.

"My lady requested that everything from the nursery be destroyed. I grabbed some of the sheets before they threw it in the fire. No one noticed them missing." Curiosity with a mix of the alcohol she just chugged got the best of her. "Why do you need them?"

"That's my business dearie. Speaking of which, ours has concluded."

"Then I'm free."

"I'll never have to see me again." He giggled as he bowed. 7

She exhaled, relieved to be rid of this dirty business. She drank the rest of her drink merrily as the imp left the establishment. She didn't noticed that he stopped ever so briefly to talk with the owner.

"Did you handle your part?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. The poison was placed in her drinks."

"Good. Our deal is done then."

No one breaks a deal with Rumpelstiltskin.


	3. Portal Jumpers

**The Enchanted Forest - Dark Castle**

He was growing desperate as a year passed and still he did not have the girl. He sent out spies and feelers to see if any one in the land adopted her. He had no luck so far. The talisman he created from hairs he acquired from the King's linen-maid was not able to track her either. He had doubted that she would be easy to find - after all The Blue Fairy had interfered.

That despicable creature was determined to ruin his life. First she took away Rumpelstiltskin's son Baelfire and now she was hiding a valuable asset that he could use in several ways.

He wished that he could spend all of his time searching for Rose, but right now, he needed to focus his time and attention on getting Regina ready. She was rapidly gaining ability and her need for revenge was growing even stronger. He just had to guide her step by step so she could cast his Curse.

That meant he had to make deals with others to find the potential portal was no way he would let this gift slip through his fingers.

Portal jumpers were rare and, for even the best like Jefferson, had some restrictions. Being a child of true love meant the man had great potential and with the imp's assistance he honed that power. He could travel to any land with magic through his hat. The hatter was one of Rumpelstiltskin's best assets, both at acquiring pieces for him, but as a piece himself.

He played and pulled the young man in any way he needed. He smirked at how easy it was for him to do his bidding. The Dark One had been with the boy since he was a small child and knew what Jefferson wanted most - a family of his own.

If he found Rose soon he'd do something similar - sending her away to a boarding school, giving her everything she needed, except love. That hunger would be his way to hook and reel her in. It would be only a matter of time before he found her.

He rubbed his hands, so excited at how powerful she could be (with his help of course). Even with her potential, Rose needed training, molding before she could harness her power and learn to jump worlds. Traveling between lands had a huge price, it always drained the traveler to a degree. Jefferson and others like him had to get their bodies fit enough to handle multiple jumps.

By what he was able to dig up with research he guessed that she would be able to jump to lands without magic. Well, that wasn't exactly, she would be able to make a jump to or from a land without magic. But it would be a extreme strain on her body. If he used her to return him and his son Baelfire to their land, it would surely kill her. It didn't matter to him what happened to her as long he got his beloved boy back.

He just had to find her in time and get her training and education arranged. He had no doubt that the girl would be able to learn. Both of her parents were intelligent and her grandmother Cora was exceptionally sharp. As petty as it seemed he had grown to love the idea of exploiting with Cora's family. It was exactly what that two-faced witch deserved. She was a wolf in sheep's clothing for sure.

Hmmmm...wolf.. a new idea just popped into his mind. Perhaps he could get a wolf to track her. Not just any wolf, but one of those shape shifters. He decided to hunt for one desperate for a deal. Perhaps he could use them to find his precious prize.

_**I want to give a shout to DaesGatling for the Greatest Irony, her wonderful series on Jefferson. I used it as a reference for this chapter. Please follow it if you haven't already!**_


	4. Red Cloak

She cautiously approached the clearing in the woods. Granny had left Red with some neighbors while she made this dangerous trip. She hoped that the girl would never find out about the purpose behind the voyage.

Stepping out of the shadows,Rumpelstiltskin asked her. "How's your granddaughter doing?"

"You know how's she's doing." She knows that this monster could destroy her with a flick of his wrist, but she didn't care. She had no time for his games. "It's why you're here." She knew that he had a penchant for making deals and she was prepared. She bought her a bag filled with all the gold she had.

"Ah, yes." He wagged his finger. "Your granddaughter has picked up the family trait." He looked at the tiny bag in her hand and snorted. "I have no need of gold, especially the pittance you've bought."

Her heart sank. She had nothing else to offer him " I need your help."

Playing the game, he inquired, "What are you looking for?"

"I need a potion to cure her. I don't want her to go through what I had to endure."

"Can you be more specific? " He teased the older woman."Do you mean you want her to not be a werewolf or you don't want her to become like her mother and leave you?"

She pulled up her crossbow and aimed it directly at his face. "Don't you ever bring up my daughter Anita!"

He pushed the arrow back with his finger. "Point taken." He giggled, though the weapon posed no real threat to him, he had a certain amount of respect for her gumption. "There is no potion to cure your granddaughter, but I do have a solution for your problem." He lifted his hand and with a puff of purple smoke, a beautiful red cloak appeared. "This will help your granddaughter. Whenever it's wolf's time, if she's wearing this enchanted cloak, she won't change. "

It would have to do, but she eyed him suspiciously. He never did any favors without expecting something in return. "All of your magic comes with a price, Rumpelstiltskin. What do you want?"

"Glad you ask." He bowed low and extended her arms wide. He got up and pointed at her. "I need your special skills to find something precious to me." She didn't transform to a wolf anymore, but she still had some of her heightened senses.

Granny shook her head. She knew better than to rush into a deal with him without knowing all the details. "I'm no fool. I know you're hiding something. What is the item you're looking for?"

He theatrically clutched his heart in a mock pain. "I'm hurt that you think that about me." When he saw Granny wasn't amused, he took on a more serious tone. "Fine, dearie. I'll tell you. Someone took my child from me and I want her back."

Granny wasn't fooled by his lie. She couldn't picture anyone loving him, a monster who preyed on the weak. "You don't have a child." Probably some poor soul who was desperate to make a deal. "This baby belongs to someone else.'

"That's where you're wrong. She's mine. Her mother forfeited her when she made a deal with him." He chose his words carefully; as far as he was concerned when Regina decided to become his apprentice and made a deal to fulfill a favor for him, she gave up all rights to the child. "Believe me when I say the girl is better off with me than her mother."

While Granny would do almost anything to protect her precious Red, she wasn't willing to sacrifice another family's happiness for that. "I won't steal a child from her own crossed her arms. "Go find another soul to do your dirty work."

"Hmmrph..aren't we so sure of ourselves." He muttered. "The girl is not with her family. She was stolen by someone else to be used for some nefarious purpose."

"Unlike you, who would raise her with love?"

"Watch your tongue or I'll take it from you!" He snapped. Calming down, he explained,"I'm not going to debate with you all day. I'm offering you a chance to keep Red safe in exchange, you will find this child for me."

Granny considered the offer. She really had no other options, she needed his red cloak.

"Why do you need her?"

"That's my business." Rumpelstiltskin placed his hand out to let her that he wasn't going to share. But he conceded, "If you it makes you feel better, I give you my word, I will not harm the child." He lifted his right hand as he made the vow. "Do we have a deal?"


End file.
